Goldstein's decision to become a rabbi was influenced as much by his draft number (75) as it was by his passion for work in the Jewish community. A native of Princeton, he grew up Conservative, leaning Orthodox. As a teenager in the 1960s, he took part in demonstrations protesting the war in Vietnam. He attended Temple University and spent his junior year in Israel.

During that year, he realized the path his career would take. "It was 1968-'69. That was the beginning. I knew I wanted to do something to help the Jewish people. But spirituality and God were a bit distant."

He acknowledges that choosing to enter seminary in 1970 would give him an exemption from the draft, whereas going for a doctorate in Jewish studies would not. It was the largest class ever at Hebrew Union College, and, as he recalled, "we were a very eclectic group."

After a brief stint at congregations in upstate New York and in the Midwest, he came to Sha'arey Shalom with his wife, Sally, who was pregnant at the time. "I never had that ‘match' moment," he said. "But the history of the congregation was appealing. It offered a counter-culture approach. And coming from a fairly staid classical Reform congregation in the Midwest and a Conservative congregation upstate, it was very liberating." He also enjoyed being close to family as he and Sally raised their two sons, Dov and Zack.

His views have never been as divisive in the congregation as those of his predecessor, Rabbi Israel (Sy) Dresner. Still, several issues have caused controversy. Among these have been his liberal stance on gay marriage and his right-leaning views on Israel.

When Goldstein announced his support for gay commitment ceremonies, there was a divide within the congregation. "And for at least six months, the temple became a tense place for me," he recalled in his own reflections on 25 years as the religious leader, delivered at the synagogue's annual brunch in February. Ultimately, Goldstein was given discretion to make his own determination, which he did. In 2002, he officiated for the first time at the gay commitment ceremony of Matt Zucker, a former president of the synagogue's youth group, and his partner.

On Israel, Goldstein stands apart from the Reform movement.

"I think the Reform movement is too harsh in its criticism of Israel," he said. "I have an appreciation for the fact that we are blessed to live at a time when we have a Jewish homeland. My grandparents did not have that, and I don't take it for granted. This is a moral, good, wonderful homeland. Every time I go there I am inclined to drop all the pretense and drop on my knees and kiss the ground, and I do."

He said he is grateful for the support for Israel that comes from evangelical Christians, whose domestic policies are often at odds with the Reform movement's. "I'm happy Israel has friends, and that takes priority over abortion and gay rights," he said. "There's a hierarchy for me at this stage, and Israel is at the top."

Goldstein has led the synagogue through rough times, particularly in regard to finances. A building expansion in the early 1990s left the congregation in financial straits so difficult that it had to work out a payment plan with the Reform movement to retain its affiliation. In his remarks at the annual meeting in February, Goldstein said that "it takes every ounce of creativity to provide a substantial program of Jewish content each year within our budget constraints."

Through it all, Goldstein has maintained his passion for gorillas, an "obsession," he said, that began in his youth. There is also a serious side to his interest. "I'm engaged with Judaism because I have an appreciation for life, an appreciation of God's gifts to us," he said. Several years ago, Goldstein traveled to Uganda to observe gorillas. What stayed with him from that trip was not only an "incredibly spiritual experience" but also his interaction with the people he met in Africa.

"We visited a family in a grass hut. They told us, ‘We feel so blessed that God has blessed us so much. We are so grateful.'" He pointed to how little in terms of material possessions they had compared to many of his congregants. "That's a reaction I'd like to see from the congregation," he said. "Gratitude, not attitude."

As he reviews his quarter-century with Sha'arey Shalom, Goldstein said he realizes that somewhere along the way, the rabbinate became a calling and the synagogue became his match.

"For all the difficult challenges it brings, I like this job. I like it a lot. I don't know when it clicked. Maybe the first time I bar or bat mitzva'd a kid. It just fills my life with meaning. I love that I can be a catalyst for Jewish identity in a young person. With a full heart, I feel blessed."